Public Support of Private Innovation: An Initial Assessment of the North Carolina SBIR/STTR Phase I Matching Funds Program

Public Support of Private Innovation describes the One North Carolina Small Business Program's purpose and history, as well as offer an assessment of whether it has met its stated goals and objectives. Through an analysis of data collected through a 2017 survey of all the program's grantee companies, this monograph provides both descriptive findings as well as econometric assessments of the Program against its four stated goals. Both the descriptive findings and the econometric analyses are supportive of the conclusion that the program is meeting its legislatively authorized purpose and goals. This monograph is divided into five sections. Section 1 provides background context on the One North Carolina Small Business Program. Section 2 describes the Federal SBIR and STTR Programs and how North Carolina has fared under the programs since their establishment. Section 3 presents descriptive information on the programs' survey and sets the stage for section 4, which details the econometric assessment of the program. Concluding observations are presented in section 5.